Meteor Shower Across The Night Sky
by Awkwardauthor
Summary: My life has a bunch of shards left untouched. Why should I pick them up when it would mean hurting myself again? When I succumbed myself to eternal darkness, a meteor shower crosses the night sky and I know there's still a light of hope left in me. AH
1. 1: Meteor Shower Across The Night Sky

**This was my entry for the Hope Springs Eternal contest. Didn't win (as usual), but I was glad to enter. :) It made me finally find the chance to type down this one-shot because it's truly close to my heart. So if you stuck w/ me for the past year, I had some RL probs that led to my fics My Bitter Heart, Fall With Me (one-shot), Break of Dawn & We'll Always Be Great Friends. Because of those problems, this fic came to be. This fic is special to me because almost 3/4 of this one-shot are true events that happened to me. There were the laughs... & there were the tears. Please enjoy & see the long ass final A/N at the bottom. **

* * *

_Even the best fall down sometimes_

_Even the wrong words seem to rhyme_

_Out of the doubt that fills my mind_

_You somehow find_

_You and I collide_

_~ Collide (Howie Day)_

When I was thirteen, I had my first broken heart. When it happened, I swore that I'd never let a boy hurt me again. It would only risk to another broken heart that's worse than the last. I didn't want to suffer liking another, only to find that he'd break my heart and I'd have to face through the heartbreak all over again. I was young, not knowing what the risk of falling in love would do. I've fallen too much. I faced the consequences of what falling in love for the first time would do. I became a shadow of myself, and I was never the same again. The worst part? This all ended because of the stupid note that I thought I was brave enough to give him.

Eighth grade had come and gone, and before I knew it, I was in high school. It has been about three months since the first time I had my heart broken. Being in high school meant having a fresh start, and I'm desperate to make new memories to replace my old, bitter ones. Whenever I saw him, my heart still skipped a beat. I never moved on. It's painful for me to look into his eyes and immediately remember everything that he put me through. Bitterness soon turned into anger and jealousy when I heard the rumors that he had a girlfriend. I didn't like having those negative feelings. It made me feel like more of a bad person to them than I am now. I wanted those rumors to be proven false, but apparently, it wasn't so. He was no longer single. He has someone new, and that someone is my friend Leah. When I saw them together, I get jealous, not because I want to be his, but because I want to know what it's like to be loved by someone. My face would flame red and I'd feel the smile that would be on my face curve into a frown. And trust me, seeing the bad side of me is never a good thing. Seeing them together made me angry that I ever had feelings for him.

I was losing hope of being myself again when it happened. It was a Friday in August and I was at Japanese Club with my three best friends: Alice, Rosalie and Angela. Sam, a senior and Japanese Club's president, decided that today would be a video game day and allowed Tyler, a member of the club, bring in his Wii and his Super Smash Bros. Brawl video game. Alice, Rosalie and Angela are complete maniacs when it comes to video games, so it didn't surprise me when I found them being the first three members to have their arms shoot up towards the ceiling when Sam asked us who wanted to play first. At the moment, Alice was playing against three other members of the club (I didn't know their names, but I'm pretty sure they're upperclassmen), while Rosalie and Angela were cheering her on. Emily, another member of the club, decided to strike up a conversation with me since we hardly spoke since we began high school a couple of weeks ago. She was one of my friends in the intermediate since we shared the same homeroom and fourth period.

"So how are things going with Jacob?" Emily asks me, a mischievous grin on her face. Emily is one of those few people that I told about of my crush on Jacob, and so far, like a friend she is, she hasn't told anyone about it.

I bit my lip. That's the thing about him. I may be comfortable letting people I trust know that I have a crush on Jake, but when it comes to what happened between us, I'm terrified to speak of it. The only people who even know about it are Alice and Rosalie. I'd tell Angela soon, but she usually gets sick of hearing any love problems between Rosalie or I, so for now she'll have to be one of those people in the dark.

"It's… okay. I guess." At least I'm somehow telling the truth.

"Still not talking, huh?"

I shook my head. "I really wish he did."

"Did he kiss you yet?"

That caught my attention. "What?"

"Did you kiss Jacob yet?"

"What? Absolutely not!"

Emily chuckles. "Yeah you did. I can see you blushing. It's totally you, Bella."

Now that she mentioned it… I can feel my cheeks flaming into a blush. I don't know whether it's because of those butterflies I had in my stomach when I was still in good terms with Jake a few months ago, or if it's the anger whenever I feel his presence that's happening to me often for the past couple of weeks.

"I didn't kiss Jacob," I say in a firm voice. "I've never kissed Jacob or anyone else before."

"You kissed who?" a voice says from a few feet away. I turn around to see a boy with a grin of amusement on his face.

I kissed no one," I tell him. I recognize him now. He's in the same team with me and we share all of our classes except our sixth period. My sixth period is a pathway for Arts and Communication, while his sixth period is Japanese 1. I believe his name is Edward…

"Liar," he answers. "I can see it in your eyes."

I pout. "I'm not lying. It's the truth."

He laughs. "Tell me, Emily. Did Bella kiss anyone?"

_Don't Emily… you better not give me away._

"Well…" She pats her chin with her finger as if she's lost in thought. "Bella's still blushing, so it's gotta be true." She waggles her eyebrows at me.

_Dammit! I should stop blushing._

"What's the matter, Bella? Still thinking about the kiss with-"

"Shut it, Emily!" I interrupt her, her comment only causing my cheeks to flame hotter.

"Ooh…" He pokes my sides. "Dirty mouth."

Edward's words completely takes me by surprise. "What?"

"Dirty mouth! Dirty mouth! Dirty mouth!"

"Shut up! That's so not true!"

"Dirty mouth!"

"Shut up, Edward!"

"Dirty mouth!"

"Edward!"

The two of us, along with Emily, couldn't stop laughing. All that Edward's comment is doing is making me laugh. And I realize, for the first time in a long while, a boy is making me laugh. That hasn't happened since I transferred schools when I was thirteen. I didn't know a lot of guys at the new intermediate my parents enrolled me into, and the guys I did know disgusted me. They were so much different than the guys I knew in my old middle school. I didn't want to admit it, but Edward is reminding me of all the times I joked around with my guy friends before I transferred schools.

_Or since Jacob._ A lingering afterthought flashes in my mind.

No. This is not the time to be thinking about _him_.

"Hey Bella? What's wrong? You just stopped telling Edward to shut up." Emily looks me over with a concerned expression, the smile that was earlier on her face curving into a slight frown.

I do my best to mask the pain of the thought of Jake and put a fake smile on my face. "Yeah. I'm fine. By the way-" I turn to Edward, feeling my fake smile turning back into a genuine one. "I'm not a dirty mouth."

Edward snickers. "I'll believe it when I see it."

I shook my head with amusement. I'm already guessing that no matter what I say, Edward won't believe what I say. With a sigh, I wave him off and shift my eyes back to my friends, where they were still cheering Alice on.

When I turn back to take a quick glance at Edward, I notice that he still has a warm smile on his face. And suddenly, out of the blue, I feel my heart skip a beat and those familiar butterflies fluttering around in my stomach.

_Calm down, Bella._

What is this? Why am I feeling this way? The only times I remember feeling this way is when I have a crush on a boy.

Wait, what?

I don't have a crush on Edward! I've only truly talked to him today for goodness sake!

However, it was his warm smile that drew me in. Unknown to me at the time, this first initial confrontation would change everything.

~:~

He never called me that nickname again, but it didn't mean that our interactions would stop. Because he's in most of my classes, we often talk to each other. After that day, we immediately became friends. He became one more person that I share my snacks with during a school day. Along with my other new friends that I made in high school so far, he sometimes walks with us to class.

It's obvious that it didn't take me long to fall for him.

It took me a while to realize it, but I did. And when I did, I became really scared. No. Scared is an understatement. I was more like… terrified.

Yes. Terrified is the word.

I don't remember the exact moment when I realized it, but it didn't change how I fear for my newfound predicament. I didn't want to fall for him. Even though he's such a great guy to hang around, I'm afraid that he would repeat what happened in my past. I was afraid that if I did like him, it would end terribly, just like my previous crush. I didn't want him to be another crush. I've experienced that firsthand with Jake. Oh… I have a load of profanities for Jake, and they aren't pretty. But when has profanities ever lead to something good?

Oh right… in Jersey Shore. Har har. If I wasn't this conflicted, I'd be laughing at my own joke.

I confide my new crush to Alice and Rosalie. I choose to leave Angela out of the dark on this for a while since I knew she wouldn't have much advice for my situation. As for Alice and Rosalie, I know I could trust them on anything that involved love. I trust Rosalie the most since she too is having complications on her current crush, Emmett (We nickname him Puppy because… well… puppies are cute. And who doesn't like puppies?). She had gotten over her old crush Ben (We nickname him Brains because I know he's smart) after he was giving her mixed signals on whether or not he likes her.

Rosalie tried her best to give me the best advice on how to deal with this situation. "Forget about what happened to Peaches," she told me. Peaches is the nickname we gave to said boy that broke my heart. "He's a part of your past. If Chef means a lot to you, then take that chance. Who knows? Maybe he'll be worth it in the long run." Chef is the nickname that I came up with for Edward.

That's the question that plagued my mind. Would Chef be worth it? Would he be the one to make me forget what ever happened with Peaches?

~:~

"Ugh!" I groan, laying my head down on the blue bench in front of the library. "What am I gonna get Edward for his birthday?"

"Belated," Alice corrects.

"Same thing!" I say, bringing my head back up and groaning again. "He's a guy! What can I get a guy for his birthday?"

Rosalie shrugs. "Guys like candy, so why don't you get him that?"

"And what about Pokemon cards?" Alice adds. "Doesn't every guy in the world at least know what Pokemon is?"

"Hmmm…" I tap my chin. I'm okay with Rosalie's idea, but as for Alice, I'm not too sure. Edward may like anime, but I haven't heard him once mention if he's into Pokemon. But he could be, right? He wouldn't join Japanese Club without a good reason.

"Or-" Rosalie's voice brings me back to reality. "If he doesn't like Pokemon, then we just get him candy. You told us once that Chef likes candy, right?"

"And cookies," I add.

"Well there you go," Rosalie says. "We'll buy some at Don Quiote after school. You have money?"

I nod.

"Good. I'll help ya out just in case, then we'll get ice cream after. Sounds good."

"Sweet!" I pump my fist in the air. "I mean… yeah. That's fine by me."

Alice and Rosalie laugh.

"Oh Bella," Alice chuckles. "What are we ever gonna do with you?"

~:~

"I wish I could have this," Rosalie says with a wistful sigh. I turn my head around to see my best friend holding up a Hello Kitty notebook. The two of us are in the Artbox in Don Quiote, where we plan to get a pack of Pokemon cards before we head up deeper in the aisles of Don Quiote to the candy section of the large store and buy ice cream in the food court after we pay for our purchases.

"How much?" I ask Rosalie. If the notebook doesn't cost too much, I might be able to buy it for her. I brought twenty dollars for our little outing, and if we buy one pack of Pokemon cards (It's about four dollars when I checked the price), candy (Shouldn't be more than three dollars) and ice cream, (I'm thinking we might spend around seven dollars for that), I should still have six dollars left, which could be enough for whatever Rosalie wants.

"Ummm…" Rosalie turns the notebook around to check the price. Her smile quickly turns into a frown. "Eight dollars. Damn… things here are so expensive."

"I know, right?" I say, agreeing. "But I can't buy it. If we do, we won't have enough for ice cream later."

"Damn it," Rosalie mutters. "I really want it."

"It's okay, Rose. Here, ice cream or a notebook?"

That puts Rosalie back into good spirits. "Ice cream! Duh!"

"Good answer."

After that conversation, I get Rosalie to pay for the pack of Pokemon cards. It doesn't take us that long, and in a matter of minutes, the two of us end up in the candy section, where the two of us think of which candy to buy.

"Well, Bella, now's your chance. Do you know what kind of chocolate Chef likes?"

I shook my head. "I know Edward likes chocolate, but I think I'll try to get candy for him. I just don't know which one is his favorite."

"Hmmm… a lollipop?"

"Nah. It's too small. And don't remind me. I still remember what you told me about why guys like seeing girls lick lollipops."

Rosalie chuckles. "I remember that too. And don't blame me. That came from my brother. What about Starburst?"

I grin. "I'd want that. But do you think Edward likes Starburst?"

"Oh please. Everyone likes Starburst!" Rosalie says with a scoff. "So starburst?"

I nod. "Just buy one. It'll be enough."

"Wait! It's a two for one sale!"

"And…?"

"I want Starburst too! And you told me earlier that you'll get whatever I want if you still have money left after buying Chef's birthday present!"

"Belated birthday present," I correct her.

"Whatever. So please?" She gives me her best puppy dog eyes and I know I can't refuse. Besides, I would have bought another pack for ourselves anyway.

"Fine. But you're paying for the ice cream."

"Deal!"

We walk out of the candy section and I take a few minutes to pay for the Starburst at the cashier. Once that was done, we head over to the food court, where I get Rosalie to buy me a scoop of mint chocolate chip, while she buys herself a scoop of Rocky Road. When we walk out of Don Quiote, Rosalie holds the plastic bag that has our purchases as we walk down the sidewalk towards her house eating our ice cream.

"Well that was fun," I comment as we walk leisurely down the sidewalk, licking our ice cream.

"I know." Rosalie takes a lick from her ice cream. "Wish we could've gotten Alice to come with us. We should get her away from her parents every now and then."

I sigh. "Yeah… but the closest we've gotten is going to her house and yell at her Wii."

"Hey! That's what video games does to us," Rosalie says with a laugh.

"That it does. Hey, do you think Chef will like his belated gift?"

"Oh trust me. He'll love it. Did he even get anything on his birthday?"

"Dunno. All I know is that he got a bunch of birthday greetings on Facebook. Oh wait! This girl did say she'd bake him cookies!"

"Ooh! You got some competition!" She elbowed my side.

"Nah. They're just friends. But he did get excited."

"Typical. But trust me. At least it's something. And he's a guy. It's not hard to please them.

"Ummm… did you forget about the other thing that pleases them?"

"What?" Rosalie genuinely looked confused.

I wanted to laugh. For a girl who knows a lot of grownup sort of jokes, she can have her blonde moments when I try to imply a grownup joke.

"Things that college kids do?"

"Uh…"

"What happens when you go to Vegas and get drunk?"

"You have sex?"

"Yes? And what can happen before they do that?"

"Oh! The girl gives a guy a blo-" Realization hits her face. "Bella! Gross! You had to mention that?"

"What? I had to lighten the mood." It's true. When I get nervous about something, I get pretty high on jokes as a cure to get me to stop being nervous.

"Well it worked," Rosalie tells me, her gross face disappearing. "But back to the Chef thing. Trust me bookworm. He'll like it. You're his friend."

"Yeah…" As much as I like being his friend, I can't help but feel that, like every other girl with a crush, I want more.

~:~

"Hey. Uh… Edward?" I stood behind him, holding his gift behind my back as I tap his shoulder. It's recess and now is the right time for me to do this.

"Really?" He laughs at something that Charlie says about a new video he saw on Facebook before turning his chair to face me. "Hey Bella. What's that you got there?" He gestures to my arm that's still hiding his gift behind my back.

"Oh! Ummm… it's for you." I brought out the plastic bag that holds his Pokemon cards and Starburst. "It's a belated birthday present. My friend helped me buy it for you when we went shopping after school yesterday. Part of this is her idea, but it was my idea to buy something for you. Sorry. I should've gotten you something on the day of your birthday instead of later. And… I'm rambling. Okay. I'll shut up now." I took a step back, trying to fight down the embarrassment of my spew of words to Edward.

His mouth curves into a grin when he brings out the items from the bag. "So this is for me?"

"Yeah… happy belated birthday Edward," I say nervously.

_Please like it… please like it…_

"Thanks Bella!" he beams, immediately opening the pack of Starbursts and eating a piece of the candy after discarding its wrapper. "Mmmm… I love Starburst!" He leans closer to me, inches away from my ear. "Don't tell this to anyone, but I kinda hate yellow starbursts."

Dumb-folded, I release a light laugh. "Uh… I like yellow starbursts."

"You want one?"

"You sure?"

"Yeah! I don't mind sharing my birthday present." He dumps two yellow starbursts on my outstretched hand on the table.

"Aren't you gonna open the Pokemon cards?"

"Nah. Maybe later?"

"Why?"

"I want to be surprised."

For a few minutes, I stand beside him as we eat a few starburst pieces from the pack. When the bell for fourth period rings, he stands up and I follow him as we exit the classroom from the back door.

"Again, thanks for that," Edward says in what I hope is a solemn voice. "I didn't get a lot for my birthday, and getting something from you is nice."

"Y-You're welcome." Gosh, I hope he doesn't notice the stutter in my sentence. I can't let him know yet!

_Oh, but he will. _My mind tells me.

He will… eventually.

~:~

"Who's selling brownies?" Edward calls out, looking around the science classroom. This month, Student Government, also known as SG, is selling brownies for their fundraiser. Since I know a bunch of people that love brownies, Edward being one of them, I'm surprised they haven't raided those poor SG students.

"Edward! You want!" Paul held up his box of brownies.

"Yeah! Hold on!" Edward immediately leaps out of his seat and literally runs over to where Paul and his friends were. After he bought his brownie from Paul, he turns around and makes his way back to where I am with my friends in period 7. To my surprise, he's holding up two brownies instead of one. Eh… maybe he's saving the other one for later. That's what Rosalie does whenever she buys Brisk from SG. I have tried, and ultimately failed, a load of times to ask her if I could have her extra Brisk.

"Hey Bella!" He tosses one of the brownies in my direction. Surprisingly, I caught it with ease.

"Why'd you give me one?" I ask, confused.

He shrugs. "You always bring food for us. Might as well pay you back for what you give us every day."

Oh. "Ummm… thanks then."

He smiles, and I notice that it's the same smile he gives me whenever we do something for each other.

"You're welcome, Bella. I might do that again."

I laugh. "Yeah, right. Why would you wanna spend brownies on me?"

"Because you're such a nice girl, Bella," he says in a tone that catches my breath. Is that supposed to be a compliment?

"That's who I am," I answer, attempting to play off, in my view, his compliment.

"Yeah, but I don't see girls bring snacks to school, like… every day. That's something I like about you." Then, and I'm not even sure if I saw it right, but he winked at me.

He winked at me!

But before I could say anything else to make sense of what he just tells me, he turns and walks away.

~:~

"Hey Bella. Can I talk to you for a minute? Outside?" It's recess and Edward and I, along with a few other students in our period 4, are in the World History room.

"Uh… sure." I stand up from my seat and I follow him out the back door, where he leads us to a secluded place that I believe is out of earshot from the other freshmen or sophomores in our team.

"Is this important?" I ask him. If he would lead us here, then surely it's some sort of secret that he wants to tell me. I know Edward doesn't confide anything personal to me without dragging me away from everyone else first. But he's my friend. I respect him that way.

He nods. "Really important. You'll be the first person to know about it."

"Is it good or bad?"

"Ummm…" He fidgets with his fingers that, for whatever reason, has super long nails than anyone else in class. I'm not kidding. His nails are longer than what a normal girl would have hers.

Uh-oh. I can already tell this is going to be bad.

"G-Go ahead." Shoots. Whenever I know bad news are going to come up, I get nervous that I stutter. It's a good thing that it's just one word and not a whole bunch. Who knew what Edward would think then.

"Do you remember when I told you that I wanted to go to Japan for college?"

I nod. A few weeks ago, when Edward walked me to the bus stop, I had asked Edward where he wanted to go to college. Even though we're only freshmen, I wanted to know out of pure curiosity. He told me he wanted to go to Japan, and when I asked why, he said it's because he's been dreaming about doing it since he was little and one day, he'd make sure to make his dream come true. I supported his decision when he told me, but it didn't stop me from feeling a bit sad that the chances of us going to the same college at the end of high school decreased.

"Yeah. Why? Did you change your mind?" It's a possibility. People change their minds all the time, and who knows? Maybe this is one of these.

He shook his head. "Nope. And even if I did, it wouldn't be now. But that's not the point. The truth is… I'm moving."

Oh… well that makes sense.

"Okay" is what I reply. "When?"

"Bella… you don't get it. I'm moving in December."

"And…?"

He looks at me as if I'm kidding around, but the expression on my face convinces him that I'm serious. "Bella…" He sighs. "This is a permanent move. I'm transferring schools at the end of the year."

At that moment, time seems to freeze and, if it was possible, I could hear my heart shatter as if it's a glass vase that dropped on the floor.

It's not possible… Why? Why did this have to happen?

_Don't cry, Bella. You'll only embarrass yourself._

God's being cruel. I'm sure of it. I bet he's only trying to make me suffer all over again. I had enough suffering through Jacob the first time! Edward, who's showing me what it's like to fall all over again, would be gone within months. I'd be losing him, and there was nothing that I could do.

_Why?_

"Bella?" I snap out of my thoughts to look back at Edward.

"Oh…" is my response. What else am I supposed to say that wouldn't make me ridiculous? "What are you saying? Why are you moving away? I like you! And you don't even care?" Yeah… that sounded more ridiculous that I thought. Plus, there's no way I'll let Edward know of my crush on him this early on.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs. "I didn't mean to surprise you like this. But I think you deserve to be the first person to know."

How do I respond to that without breaking down. Oh yeah. Do what I always do when I get nervous: joke around. It usually helps.

"I'm really the first person to know?" I ask. "So even Casper doesn't know?"

He laughs. Yups. Joking around will help this time.

"No… but you might be right."

We laugh again, and, as if on cue, the bell rings, signaling the end of first recess.

"Ready to head back?"

I nod. "Let's crack down that quiz Mrs. Keola has for us on religion."

As we walk back, my thoughts swirl on the only that matters.

_This isn't fair. _I thought to myself. _What was the point of liking __Edward __in the first place __if he's only going to leave?_

~:~

"What?" Rosalie exclaims. "This is so not happening! Dear ghandi! Why would Chef be doing this to you?" If it isn't for my situation of finding out that Edward would be transferring to another school, I'd be laughing when Rosalie said "Dear ghandi." Sue me. It's her quote, and it usually earns a laugh from me. However, this is one of those moments where her special quote won't be cheering me up.

"I know," I say sadly, resting my hands on my knees. "I really like Edward, and then this has to happen?" I expected this reaction from my friends, but their responses still makes me sad.

"This is so bad," Alice comments, moving to sit beside me and resting her arm on my shoulder. "And things were going so well with you and Chef too!"

It's true. Things with Chef were, or should I say are, going well.

"What do I do?" I plead in a soft whisper. "It's so hard for me to talk to him without sounding so sad after what he told me. We've only got like… what… six months left before the school year ends. I'm running out of time."

"That's easy," Rosalie tells me. "How about put on your big girl panties and ask the guy out for goodness sake? It'll save us from seeing you go back to Depressing Bella."

"Ha! I don't even have any big girl panties," I say in a bitter tone. "And it's too soon. What if I tell Edward how I feel and he rejects me? Like what Peaches did? I don't wanna repeat the infamous eighth grade incident."

"You won't. I have a good feeling about Chef," Alice says. "And if I know better, maybe he'll be your boyfriend by the end of the semester."

I shook my head. "Yeah right."

"I might have to agree with Alice on this." Rosalie lays her hand on the shoulder that's unoccupied by Alice's. "Chef's a good guy. And besides, if he breaks your heart, he'll be faced with a broken face by me."

That comment from Rosalie makes me crack a smalls smile. At least she knows how to make me smile through my toughest situations.

Alice grins. "See? There's the Bella we know! C'mon, let's go find Angela before she ends up in another fist fight with Jane."

~:~

"I'm on the edge and I'm screaming my name like a fool on the top of my lungs," I sang. "Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright, but it's never enough."

It's one of those nights again when I'm thinking so much about Edward that every song in my iTunes playlist that reminds me of him are the songs that I keep on singing to myself. When it's not iTunes, the songs would be through the radio. I'm surprised my mom hasn't busted into my room yet and tell me to shut up.

It's always the same songs. I should get tired of them by now, but for some odd reason, I don't. It's become too much of a regular occurrence for me to let go of this new habit. This used to be my habit with Jacob, but after what happened to us, I questioned myself as to why I was still doing it. I broke the habit for a while until I met Edward, and that's when the habit returned with a vengeance, making me think of Edward each and every day.

Suddenly, as if on cue (I don't get why this happens lately), I can hear as if a light bulb is going off in my head, similar to what I see in a cartoon when the character has a plan or learned something. In my case, it's the second option.

Now that I thought about it, the subject of Jacob doesn't hurt me as much as it did before. Even though it still leaves an ache in my heart whenever Jacob crosses my mind, I feel like I was slowly moving on. In fact, it's more of Edward that pops into my mind. It's as if Jacob is becoming a ghost of my past and I'm doing the one thing that Alice and Rosalie told me to do ever since Jacob broke my heart: move on.

_Think about Edward. Doesn't he make you happy?_

The answer to that question is obvious. Of course he does!

I wonder if Edward notices my obvious attraction towards him. Every time I see him, I could hear my heart race faster against my chest. Whenever he talks to me, or when I accidentally brush against him as I walk by, I have to fight a raging blush from forming on my cheeks. Whenever we're in class, I always manage to sneak stolen glances to where he is sitting, just because I want to. I couldn't make my crush on Edward any more obvious than it already is.

_He might like you. _I froze. Yeah, right.

_Then why does he tolerate all your randomness?_

Psh… Alice, Rosalie and Angela can. Edward just so happens to be one of the people to join the group.

_He's not Jacob. _I freeze.

Of course Edward isn't Jacob! He's the exact opposite! At least Edward is a person that actually talks to me, unlike that douche of a boy named Jacob.

But if Edward isn't Jacob, then why am I even comparing the two of them together? They're fire and ice. They're two beings that should never meet.

_Whoa… slow down, Bella. Let's not get yourself into thinking of poems by Robert Frost again._

I groan. As much as Edward brings a smile to my face, all he's doing is creating more inner dilemma.

~:~

November turns into December, and Christmas came and quickly past by. I was pretty broke, with not a lot of money to go Christmas shopping. Instead, I decided to keep it simple and buy candy canes, along with Christmas cards that I would give to friends. I had enough cards and candy canes to give to Rosalie, Alice and Angela, along with Arsiele, Levi, Kelly, Grace, Megan, Liz, Emily, Marcus, Taylor and, of course, Chef himself. They enjoyed my simple present when I gave it to them on the last day of the second quarter.

I can't forget Edward's reaction when I gave him the card and the candy cane.

"Awww… thanks Bella! Wish I got you something." He had sulked for a minute before giving me a one-arm hug.

"No worries. Just a way to show you we're cool friends," was my response. I really wish I could have said we could be more than friends, but, like always, I had to tell myself it was too soon. I literally had to bite my tongue I prevent myself from spilling those words.

Winter break had also come and gone, and soon, 2012 was here, otherwise known as the year when "The world will end."

_That is bogus. _That was a thought that crossed my head to that belief. _Just because of that movie and the whole theory of the Mayan calendar, __that__ doesn__'__t mean the world will end. Natural disasters __I'll__ believe, but no __end of the world? Hell no!_

With a really new cool student teacher named Ms. Suzuki in my English class, I wanted this year to start fresh. I wanted to forget everything that happened in 2011, keep my head high and hope that this year will be like my days before I entered high school.

"So… how are things with Puppy?" I ask Rosalie, taking a bite of my chicken burger. It's lunch in the last day of January and I'm outside at the usual place where I eat lunch, along with Rosalie and Alice. Angela would normally be here, but she told us that she has to take care of things for English, so she wouldn't be joining us today.

Rosalie chokes on the yogurt that, only a second ago, she puts in her mouth. Since her parents are lazy to give her money for her lunch account, she usually eats the part of my lunch that I wouldn't eat. Besides, I don't want my best friend to starve.

"Bella!" she screeches.

"What?"

"Don't talk of Puppy while I'm eating!"

I chuckle. "But you weren't eating when I asked you the question!"

She slaps my shoulder. "I don't care! Don't catch me off guard or you'll end up killing me!"

"Okay fine. Sorry."

After taking a moment to compose herself, Rosalie places the yogurt back on my tray. "I'm okay. Puppy, right?"

I nod.

"Still the same," she tells me with a shrug. "I hate that I'm so shy to talk to him, even though we're in the same fourth period."

"Then talk to him!" Alice advises, popping a Mario gummy in her mouth. "Don't be scared, woman!"

"But I am," Rosalie whines. "What do I say to him."

I tap my chin. "Hmmm… oh I don't know. How about a hi?"

Rosalie rolls her eyes. "Very specific, Bella. I'm gonna need more than that."

"Ask him about school-related stuff or something," I start. "Get to know him so you could be friends. If you wanna push the boundaries, then start talking about him with stuff that doesn't involve school. And, when you're really ready, ask him out. You'll go uphill from there."

Rosalie scoffs. "What kind of plan is that?"

"Uh, my one year plan?" I say in an obvious tone.

"It's not a stupid plan, Rose," Alice responds. "I agree with Bella. That should be your way of talking to Puppy."

"But I'm scared," Rosalie whines again.

I shook my head. "Stop making up excuses, Rose. You'll have to talk to him eventually."

"Yeah… in the year 2020 when we're going on with our lives," Rosalie muttered.

"Fine. How about you talk to him before the school year finishes?"

Rosalie gazes at me skeptically. "I might take you up to that. But I have a catch."

"What?"

"Tell Chef you have a crush on him before the last year of school."

"W-What? No!" I sputter. "He's my only true guy friend in this school! I don't wanna lose him if I told him how I feel! And you know how much he makes me happy, unlike Peaches!"

"The douche," Nicole clarifies. I give her a curt nod.

"Then I won't talk to Puppy," Rosalie simply says, crossing her arms, a smirk on her face.

"You should tell Chef how you feel," Nicole says softly. I stare at her, bewildered that she'd take Rosalie's side.

I stare down at my food. "Why?"

"Because he's moving," Alice simply says. "When he moves, then how will you ever find a second chance? God doesn't always grant people second chances."

"God my butt," Rosalie scoffs. "He's given me enough confusion with Brains."

"True, but this is more for Bella." Alice directs her attention back to me. "You've been given a second chance after what Peaches did to you. Make the best of it."

"And who knows? Maybe he is the one," Rosalie adds.

Wow. That's deep. I've never seen Alice have a crush on someone before, yet she spoke as if she's had a longtime boyfriend. Alice is right. Edward is my second chance of falling in love. Well… maybe not the love part, but the falling part is dead on.

"So what do you say, Bella? Do we have a deal?" Rosalie extends one of her arms out. "I'll talk to Puppy in the condition that you tell Chef how you feel before the last day of school."

I sigh. Might as well do it. If I'm going to get Rosalie anyway in speaking to Emmett, this is my one chance. Besides, it's still the beginning of the year. I can deal with the consequences later.

"Deal."

~:~

An open composition book is sitting on my lap, as well as a bunch of folder papers scattered around me. I'm in my room days before Valentine's Day in one of my 'Venting Days.' On these days, I have so many story thoughts running through my mind that I have to write it down so I won't forget them. Most of the time, these thoughts end up becoming new story ideas. Those folder papers are mostly filled with poems that I'm desperate to write down, while this composition book is filled with all the short stories that has been stuck in my brain over the past couple of weeks. And the not so funny part? All of this is about Edward. I don't know why, but he's been so inspiring to me lately, even more than Peaches ever was.

_You__'__re too important to me. _I thought to myself. _I do__n'__t ever want to let you go. _It sounds selfish of me, but that's how much Edward means to me.

I'm in the middle of writing one of these poems when a thought of realization hits me full force.

_It's been over four months._

Rosalie once told me this last year. It's a belief that if you have a crush on someone for over four months, it means that you are in love with he or she. In my case, I've been crushing on Edward for over five months.

"Damn..." I whisper to myself.

Am I in love with Edward?

Why did this thought cross me now, when Valentine's Day isn't that far away?

Am I in love with Edward? Now that I thought of it... maybe I am. It does explain why I act so nervous whenever I'm around him. It does explain why he's constantly on my mind. It does explain why I feel like I can escape reality whenever I'm around him. It does explain why I feel my stomach drop whenever I see him talking to another girl. But most of all, it does explain why I'm having this familiar feeling. It's that feeling I had months ago with Jacob. It's that feeling I had when I know my feelings has reached that specific point of no return. It's a feeling that always gets the best of me. Why didn't I see this sooner?

_You know why. It's because you were so caught up with your worries about Jacob that you failed to see what Edward has been doing to you this whole time._

Wow. Edward has a bigger effect on me than I thought.

I sigh. So what if I'm in love with Edward? What would be the point? He's still transferring to another school after this school year is over. All I have to do is survive until then and I'll never have to see him again.

I freeze.

Never seeing him again... Maybe holding in my feelings for him isn't the right direction I should be going... So what should I do?

_You don__'__t want any regrets, do you? _My conscience tells me.

Of course I don't! My experience with Jacob had taught me that firsthand!

_Then tell him how you feel._ I pause. Should I tell Edward how I feel, even though he'll be gone in a few months?

_Yes. _Curse my conscience. Apparently, it's my only best friend now since my human best friends are not here. For some odd reason, it acts like Rosalie on the strangest times. My conscience can give advice and keep me occupied, but it irritates me at the same time.

But my conscience is right. It's better to let Edward know how I feel than to never let him know at all and think "What-if?" for the rest of my life. The only question I have left now is the "How?"

_Uh…duh! Did you not remember the deal that you made with Rosalie?_

Psh…! Of course I remember! How else do I get Rosalie to make a move on Emmett?

_Follow through with the deal. Since you're in love with Edward, it makes much better sense to say you love him._

"I'm in love with Edward Cullen." Damn. It makes my tongue tingly when I say it. I wonder how Edward will react when I actually do say those three words…

I smile to myself. So it's settled. I'll tell Edward how I feel, just like I promised Rosalie. I'll plan out the rest later. I say "Wtf!" to whatever consequences there'll be later.

For now, I'm good with knowing that I'm in love with Edward.

~:~

Agh! Maybe I was right! Maybe I shouldn't do this…

Rosalie sees the look on my face and shook her head. "Nopes. Nuh-uh. Nada. You've chickened out twice already." She gives me a little push towards Edward's direction. "Now go get your man!"

Rosalie's right. I've been putting this off more times than I should. I chickened out twice last month, and since it's the beginning days of April, Rosalie and Alice believes it's good luck and they've been pushing me all day to tell Edward today. I chickened out the first time when Edward was on his cell phone and I was too scared to break the silence between us. I chickened out the second time when Edward and I were at the stoplight in front of the school and, instead of walking with me to the bus stop and taking the bus with me, he walked to the transit instead to wait for the bus. And the weird part? That second time of chickening out happened three days ago.

"Shhh…! Now so loud, Rose!" I whisper-shout to Rosalie. "I don't need to catch any attention from strangers."

She waves it off. "I know, I know. But you remember the deal, right?"

I nod. "Of course not. I am trying to get you to talk to Puppy."

"Yeah, yeah. Ooh! Look! Chef's there! Now go!" She gives me a light shove. "And don't worry. I'll be behind you if you need me."

I give a small smile to Rosalie. "Thanks. I think I might need it." Taking a few deep breaths, I walk away from Rosalie and walk as fast as I could to Edward before I lose sight of him.

"Edward!" I shout, trying to get his attention. I only need to say his name once for him to stop walking and turn around.

"Hey Bella," he says once I reach him.

"Hey," I reply, out of breath. I compose myself for a few seconds, trying to catch my breath before I say my next words. "Mind if I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure. You texted me on Friday that you needed to ask me something, right?"

"Uh-huh. But it's sort of personal, so I waited till after school to tell you. Can it wait till we get to the bus stop."

All he does is give me a simple nod.

We walk to the bus stop in silence. It isn't an uncomfortable silence, but I need this moment to put together everything that I say to him. I know what I have to say. I'm just scared that I'd make a fool of myself and I won't be able to say everything that I want to say. Edward's that special to me. I don't want him to miss a single word that I want to tell him.

When we finally reach the bus stop, I risk a glance to where Rosalie is. She blends perfectly between the sea of students, but I could see her. When Rosalie spots me walking with Edward, she give me a thumbs up.

'Do it' she mouths.

I nod. No way am I backing down again.

"So what is it that you want to talk to me about?" Edward asks me when I turn my head back around.

"Oh! Ummm…" Find your words, Swan! "We're friends, right?" That's a good way to start, right?

He nods. "Of course. You were one of my classmates that became my friend this year." I can't help but smile a bit wider from what he said.

"And you don't hate me?" There. That should be an icebreaker. I need him to prove if he thinks of me as a true friend or a friend that you'd only see on Facebook, just like how Jacob treated me.

Edward's eyes blink rapidly a few times. "What? Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"Because someone did," I murmur. Dang it! Don't you dare let your emotions get in the way now, Swan! You promised Rosalie! And yourself! Tell him before you chicken out again.

"No one should hate you," Edward says, pulling me out from my mental motivation. "You're a cool girl, Bella."

"I know," I answer sadly. "But I guess not everybody doesn't see it that way."

"Who was it?" Wait what?

"Huh?"

"Who's the douche that broke your heart?"

I stare at Edward, shock evident in my eyes.

"I can tell, Bella." He touches my shoulder. His simple touch sends electricity running into my body, the sensation tempting me to tell Edward not only about how I feel about him, but everything that happened Jacob and I.

I must have stared at Edward for far too long because now he takes a small step back and rubs the back of his head nervously. "Sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you."

"Jacob," I blurt out. Since when did I find the confidence to tell him this? "His name was Jacob."

He gapes. "It's not…"

I nod, shifting my attention away from him. "It is."

"The one that's dating Leah?"

"Uh-huh…" I didn't want to look at his reaction, thinking that he'll take pity on me. I don't want any sympathy. What happened between Jacob and I is old history. I shouldn't be sad over not having him. I'd rather be mad that sad over not having something that isn't mine.

"You're not going to tell me what happened with Jacob, are you?" he says a couple of minutes later.

I shook my head, willing the onslaught of emotions rushing inside me to go away. "That's a story for another day."

He rubs my shoulder again. "It's okay, Bella. I won't push you to say anything else if you're not ready to tell me yet."

I nod, my eyes still not looking at him. "But there is something that I can tell you."

"What is it?"

I gulped. "I love you." There. I said it. I look back up to him, hesitant to see what his reaction.

I shouldn't have looked.

Edward's face is blank, looking as if he just saw a ghost. He isn't gaping, but I notice that his gaze is pointed straight at me. My stomach drops. It's almost as if he's about to shoot me with a riffle. That is, if he had one.

I don't say anything. I'm too afraid to say anything. If I do, I could ruin more than I already do.

"Y-You love me?" he finally says a few minutes later. We were silent for far too long because by the time he spoke, two buses have already passed us. Luckily, those weren't the bus that we were supposed to take.

I nod. "Before you say anything, hear me out?"

He sighs. "Go ahead."

This is it, Swan. Tell him everything that you want him to know.

"I know it's out of the blue since we haven't know each other for a year, but what I just said is true," I start off. "My life has been in a rollercoaster ever since I started the ninth grade. When we first started talking in Japanese Club, I first thought of you as another friend, which was a good thing. I never mind having a new friend." I smile to myself, recalling the distant memory of when he called me 'Dirty Mouth.' "Somewhere before fall break, I started having a crush on you. I was pretty shocked when I first realized it. I wasn't supposed to be crushing on someone after what happened to Jacob. During the summer before we started high school, I promised myself that I wouldn't have a crush on any boy until my sophomore year. I needed time to heal myself before I let myself risk it all over again. Having a crush on you broke the promise that I thought I could carry out." My mouth curves into a frown. "I tried to ignore it. I mean, it's just a crush, right? Crushes weren't made to last. After a month, I still had a crush on you. I couldn't deny the obvious feelings I was growing for you. I even tried to hate you so I'd stop crushing on you."

I hear Edward mutter something under his breath, but I don't bother to ask him what he said. "I couldn't fall for you. That was what I told myself so many times. For all I know, you could be another Jacob! This was the exact thing that I told myself to avoid. But that was a fail within a day. I could never hate you. You've never done anything wrong for me to do so. So I decided to throw caution in the wind and said 'what the heck?' You're not Jacob in any way, so I could give this new crush a try."

Edward looks as if he wants to say something, but when he noticed the 'don't-interrupt-me' expression on my face, he closes his mouth and lets me continue on. "I tried to do nice things to you to show you how much I like you as a friend, but not enough to make my feelings obvious. When you told me you were transferring to another school since you were moving, I was more than just upset. It made me sorta regret having a crush on you. I felt as if you were my second chance of having these sort of feelings. And for it to be taken away suddenly? It wasn't fair!" I could feel my eyes start forming tears, but I will them back. I have to finish this.

"But it didn't change how I felt for you. I had to push away the fact that you'd be gone by the end of the year. When I did that, it only made me fall for you even more. By the week before Valentine's Day, I realized that I fell in love with you." I reach a trembling hand up to lay on his wrist. I thought that he'd pull away, but he doesn't. When I look up, I notice that his eyes are closed, and his body losing the tension that I felt when we first reached the bus stop.

"I was supposed to tell you that I loved you, but I kept chickening out. My friends had to convince me so many times so I could finally have the chance to tell you today." I leave out the part about the deal that I made with Rosalie. That story could wait until tomorrow.

"And?" he finally says.

"I've been running away from my feelings for you for months. I can't do that anymore. I need to see if I can get what I've been chasing from." I stare up at him, our gazes locked. He must have opened his eyes while I was talking. "I know you don't feel the same for me, but I have to let you know. I love you, Edward." I pull away from him. I finally feel the first of the tears leaking from my eyes. All of the troubles that I've been facing ever since I first met Edward… now he knows. I'm spread wide open. This is the most vulnerable I've felt since the whole moment with Jacob.

I've been blind. What I thought is wrong turned out to be something right. All I have to know now is whether or not everything I've wanted could be mine. It's within my grasp. I can feel it.

Bella," he whispers. "I don't know what to say."

"It's okay." I brace myself for what comes up next. "Just be honest."

"Honestly?" He's quiet for a few minutes before he speaks again.

His next words are what frees me from my cage.

"Our friendship confuses me. I love having you as a friend, but it confuses me because I often see myself wanting you as so much more. It was selfish of me. Why did I yearn for a friend so much? I'm not gonna lie. I do have some feelings for you. I was just unsure of what I should do with them. I like you, but I'm scared of what I should do about it. Get what I mean?"

I nod, because he's describing exactly what I feel.

"After what you told me, I'm sure of what I want to do." He raises his wrist that still has my hand on it and brings it up to my face. He lets go of his hand and I find my hand laying on his cheek.

"What do you want to do?" I ask.

"Whatever you want. I don't love you-" My face falls, but he immediately catches my expression. "But I think I could." Does he mean…?

"You want to love me?"

"Yes." He lays a hand on my waist. "So much."

Our faces are barely centimeters apart when it happens, the one thing that I've yearned for since my days with Jacob.

Edward's lips against mine is the best feeling in the world, second to having chocolate in my mouth. That thought quickly diminishes when I realize that his lips do taste sweet… almost like chocolate. How ironic.

As our lips mold together, I bring myself closer to him until my arms are thrown around his neck and his arms are tightly surrounding my waist, almost as if he's afraid of letting me go. The tears are still there, but they're no longer sad tears. They're happy tears. They're tears of the relief I feel of finally having something that's truly mine.

_He's mine. _The mere thought almost makes me choke on the swirl of new emotions. This time, they're not the bitter anger of longing that I had for Jacob. They are the sweet bliss of relief of having Edward, the boy that I've pinning for months and the one that I'm free to have.

When we pull away, we don't let ourselves lose contact. Our foreheads are leaning against each other, letting ourselves bask in the glow of our first kiss with each other.

I don't let myself tell him the three words yet. I'll save them again when I see that he's ready to say them back. However, I do know what I can say for now.

"I'm falling for you," I whisper to him. He grins and kisses me on my nose.

"I do too," he answers. ""Someday, Bella. Someday I'll be able to love you back.

For a moment, I turn my head around to see what Rosalie is up to. I vaguely remember that my best friend is still around, watching the events unfolding in front of her.

"Good job, Bella!" she says with a huge grin on her face, taking note of our little intimate position, her blond hair blowing in the breeze. "You too, Edward!"

Edward and I laugh. I turn my head back around to face him and we lean towards each other again for another kiss.

Edward has changed my life in more ways than one. He's the reason why I'm able to fall for someone all over again. I realize that I'm finally getting over Jacob, and I'm ready to move on. Jacob made me think that I was worthless, but in reality, I'm not. I guess his eyes weren't open wide enough to see what I could offer. He couldn't see that everything I'm offering is what I'm offering to Edward, which he gladly took.

I see the world with different eyes now. When Jacob broke my heart, I saw reality as a sin, because what's the point of living in it when all it would do is constantly hurt me? With my feelings for Edward, I see the world as a place of change, not for pain. Changes may not always be the best, but they happen for a reason. In this case, maybe God made Jacob break my heart so I'd meet Edward. And look how it turned out!

What I thought is the end is only the beginning.

Jacob was my past, and Edward is the future. Those blurring lines were becoming clear, and I see that I'll be more than okay. I have Edward. Fate might not always be nice to me, but I realize that my failed attempts in love only makes me stronger. Jacob's loss is Edward's victory. And Edward's victory makes me realize that I'm no longer afraid to fall.

* * *

**I apologize for some spelling/grammar mistakes, but I tried to fix a few of them before I uploaded today. First off, I'd like to thank the real life Rosalie & Alice in this fic (aka CookiePandaMonster & ThePersonaMaster) for always being there for me. They've been there to support me every step of the way w/ everything that has happened to me w/ the real life Edward. No names are mentioned, but you can refer to Break Of Dawn for some names, especially for Edward & Jacob.**

**Nicknames that I used such as Peaches, Chef, Brains & Puppy are actually real nicknames that me & CookiePandaMonster came up w/. For some odd reason, we came up w/ them after we decided that it was too hard to talk about these guys w/out other people overhearing us.**

**Besides the ending part where Bella revealed her feelings to Edward, everything else is true, from the whole Japanese Club experience (Read my other fics & you may have gotten some hints as to what happened that day) to when Bella realized she's in love w/ Edward. To any of my classmates in my English class that's reading this (I know some that reads fanfics), this is basically just an extension to my personal narrative that I wrote a couple months ago, only w/ dialogue.**

**So... ya. Now ya know what's been going on for me over the last several months. The ending may not be true, but I'm hoping I might have a happy ending like that when I plan to tell the real life Edward how I feel in a few days. He's on fanfiction, although I have absolutely no clue what his penname is. All I know is that he does anime fics. :P **

**I haven't said this in a while, but unlike my other one-shots, I GUARANTEE an expansion of this one-shot as we speak. I'm hoping for the chapters to be about 5,000+ words long & about 20 or 30 chapters long. Since I left some things unanswered, it kinda makes sense to me to continue it. The expansion will basically explore Bella & Edward's new relationship, as well as some complications from Jacob.**

**Oh, & don't forget to review!**


	2. 2: Your Arms Around Me

**Disclaimer: Why am I doing these things? Ya'll know Stephenie Meyer owns everything from Twilight! The only things I do own is this plot & OC characters. Yada yada yada… well you get my point.**

**Hey! So like I promised, here's the second chapter of the continuation to MSATNS. Without giving away too much, the expansion of MSATNS ventures through the journey of Bella and Edward's relationship. Mentioned characters (like Arsiele & Marcus) from the one-shot will play a bigger role, & there'll also be new characters introduced. And remember Jacob, aka the douche that broke Bella's heart? Yeah, he'll play one of the largest roles this time. And don't forget Bella & Rosalie's bet! That'll be referred to in the next few chapters. ;)**

**This chapter picks up the day after Edward & Bella got together. You'll see the reactions of their peers when they seem them as a new couple, as well as a surprise. Is it bad? Hehe… won't tell you. Ya just gotta read it.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Your Arms Around Me

If you told me a year ago that I'd be the girlfriend of a boy that isn't Jacob, I would have completely laughed at your face. Back then, Jacob was the ideal boy that I wanted to date. He was my crush, my vent buddy, my first love… I shook my head. I question myself as to why I had those feelings for Jacob in the first place. All he did was make me feel worthless, even though he's never told me himself. However, it was his actions that told me everything. It showed me that no matter how much I've suffered, he was never the one for me. He belonged to Leah. With the boy I truly love by my side, I believe now that Leah and Jacob are the perfect couple, just like everyone else sees them as.

As I wait at the bus stop, waiting for my usual bus to get here, I can't help but smile at the amount of excitement waiting to be bubbling out of me. How could it be that, just yesterday, Edward Cullen became the boyfriend to me, Bella Swan? Who would have known that the boy that I've had a crush on for months would be the one that I'd fall in love with? Who would have known that said boy would even want to reciprocate my feelings? I wouldn't have known! And neither did he!

The moment that I let my feelings for Edward revealed is the moment that he had set me free. He made me see that I didn't have to be afraid to fall for someone. And he said it himself. Someday, he promised, he'd be able to say those three words back.

_I love you._

I know Edward. He'd never go back on a promise. If he promises to love me back, then I know he will. I don't even care that he's still transferring schools in a few months! I refuse to let that simple fact bring me down. I want to float in my happy cloud for just a little while before reality crashes in. I want to savor this rare feeling of bliss.

Which reminds me… how can I forget that blissful moment when he said that he wanted to be my boyfriend?

_After sharing another intense kiss, we lean back against the painted wall of a breathtaking mural and sigh in contentment, letting our fingers tangle against each other. I have no idea where Rosalie is now, or if she's still even here. She may have taken a bus without me noticing. If she did, I'll make sure to thank her tomorrow. She's given this moment of privacy between Edward and I. If she could do that, I'll have to repay her somehow. Hmmm… maybe I could get her the notebook that she wanted in Art Box when we went to Don Quiote, but only if it's still there. It's been months since we've last been there._

"_Bella?" I turn my head slightly to face Edward. He has a lazy smile on his face, his body leaning a bit more next to me. I smile. This is the first time that I've ever been this close to a boy that I like (Or, in this case, love). Knowing myself, I sure as hell don't want to mess this up._

"_Yeah?" I lay my head against his shoulder, my body leaning against him closer until the side of our bodies were pressed against each other._

"_Does this mean…" I lift my head to see him gazing at me, his eyes sparkling with amusement. I know that look. He's trying to imply something to me, and I know exactly what it is. He doesn't even have to say it. His eyes are all it is that gives me the message. _

"_Will you be my girlfriend?" I've never given a thought that a boy would ask me that question again. Ever since my ex-boyfriend broke up with me over a year ago, I've been wondering whether or not I'll ever be in a relationship again. I don't have to wonder anymore, because I'm getting exactly what I've wished for._

"_Yes," I whisper. He gives me a giant grin as he leans over to kiss me again._

_This is a no-brainer. Life is getting better for me after all._

The sound of a bus driving by alerts me back to reality from my happy memory. I immediately notice that it's the bus that I always take and rush to take my bus pass out of my pocket. Once the bus stops in front of me and opens its doors, I flash my bus pass and quickly scan the bus for an empty seat. I have to fight my temptation to faint when my eyes land on something that I didn't expect.

Edward.

Edward never takes the bus at this time. By the time I get to the front of the library, which is the place we usually hang out in the morning, he doesn't usually come until a few minutes after. On rare occasions, he gets to school before I do. There's never a moment that we'd ride in the same bus together to school.

Until now.

_Calm down, Bella. Don't you dare have a heart attack now!_

Damn! Where's Alice or Angela when I need them? I'm happy to see Edward, but I'm just afraid of doing something ridiculous in front of him that'll cause me to be an embarrassment to the other passengers in the bus. Without Alice to tell me to keep calm or Angela to hit me in the head if I start drooling in front of him, I'm dead.

_Relax. This is Edward. He won't judge you for what you do. After all, he is your boyfriend._

I sigh. My conscience is right, as always.

Making sure that I won't trip or make an embarrassment of myself, I slowly walk towards where Edward is sitting. Luckily, I notice that he's taken the seat close to the window and that the seat next to him is unoccupied. It's almost as if he left it empty so he could wait for a certain someone to sit on it…

_Well duh! He's waiting for you! _Great. Blonde moment! Why didn't I see that sooner?

Once I reach Edward, I look at his mouth, which is curved in a wide smile. Wow, if I could just lean in and kiss those delectable lips…

"Hey Bella." I feel someone tug on my arm and, in less than five seconds, I find myself sitting on the seat next to him. Warm, soft lips are pressed against my cheek. I blush. Edward and I have been boyfriend and girlfriend for less than a day and already he's treating me as if I've been his girlfriend for months. This sort of reminds me of that first episode of Victorious when Beck kissed Jade on the cheek. Then again, Jade is a bitch. Yes, I said bitch. What? You don't think I can swear? Well I just did.

"Hi," I whisper. I don't trust my voice right now. Again, I'm afraid of embarrassing myself.

He swings his arm around, letting it rest on my right shoulder. "I missed you."

I giggle. "It's only been like, what? Fifteen hours since we last saw each other?"

"Fifteen hours too long," he grumbles.

I press my lips quickly on his. "There. A token of my affection."

"Well it isn't much."

"If you behave, there'll be more when we get to school."

His eyes go wide, and before he could say something, I kiss him again, lingering a bit longer than the last. When I pull away, his eyes go back to the soft expression he had when I first entered the bus. That expression reminds me of Peeta whenever he looks at Katniss. I'd slap you silly if you have no idea what I just referred to.

His eyes droop slightly, his head leaning closer on my shoulder.

"What time did you get up?" It looks as if he's about to fall asleep, and I'm sort of worried that he could get detention if he ends up falling asleep in class, especially in Mr. Mats. I shudder. I haven't caught anyone sleeping in Mats yet, but who knows? Edward could be the first. And I seriously don't want to see my boyfriend get detention from Mats.

"Five something."

"What time did you sleep last night?"

"I dunno… twelve?"

"What?" I shake his shoulders. That meant… he's only gotten about six hours of sleep. That's not good. His brain won't function well if he gets less than eight hours of sleep. Wow. I sound like my mother.

"It's nothing," he murmurs. "I went to sleep around ten, but I couldn't get to sleep because I was thinking of you."

Awww… just how much could this get any better? He's already a sweet romantic! It's like we're Jacob and Leah! Whoa. Hold it, Swan. Don't compare you and Edward to Peaches and his girlfriend. I'd end up regretting it later.

We stay quiet for the rest of the bus ride, letting Edward's head rest on my shoulder. It feels nice to be free to have this relative closeness with each other. Before all this, I was internally freaking out every time we accidentally brush hands against each other… or any other time I accidentally made contact with him! Because of this relationship, I don't have to be afraid to do all these things. Yeah, I still blush whenever he touches me, let alone kiss me. So what? That's natural for couples to do. Going from friendship zone to relationship zone was a huge step to me. But no regrets right? And besides, being Edward's girlfriend does have its benefits.

Every now and then, I still catch Edward dozing off. When he closes his eyes and doesn't open them for a moment, I shake his shoulders slightly so he'd wake up. Out of the four times that it happened during the bus ride, my simple interference works. And when opens his eyes after dozing off, I kiss his cheek in hopes that he'll be able to stay awake long enough until we get to school.

Luckily, the bus gets us to school in the amount of time that it usually takes if there's no traffic. I shake Edward's shoulder, alerting him that we're at school. He lazily nods as I hold his hand, leading us to one of the exits out of the bus.

The first thing I notice, as usual, when I get off the bus, is that Alice, along with her mom, and Angela are waiting for me. Alice immediately notices me exiting out of the bus and gives her iPod touch back to her mom. Alice waves at me when I get there, while Angela is staring at me with wide eyes. Alice looks at Angela, wondering why she looks shocked. Angela points at the place where my left hand holds Edward's right hand. Confused, Alice realizes that I'm not alone. Like the domino effect, she too becomes surprised.

"Those are your friends, right?" Edward asks me, pointing to Alice and Angela, who still have their expressions of disbelief.

I nod. "Those are two-thirds of my crazy wacko friends. Rosalie is gonna meet us later at the library."

"Wasn't that the blond girl that walked with you yesterday?"

"Yups."

When we finally reach Alice and Angela, who are walking slowly towards us slowly with their shocked expressions, I sigh. "Okay guys. Lemme have it."

Angela raises the library book she has in her hand. I know she's about to hit me with it. If you're questioning why, it's because… well… it's our thing. "I should hit be hitting you, but I won't."

"Why?"

"Because Alice would say so."

Alice chuckles. "You're right about that."

Angela sulks. "Awww…"

Alice grabs her arm. "C'mon, Ang. Let's go inside before you really do decide to hit Bella with your book here." As Alice and Angela begin walking towards the entrance of our high school, I start to follow them. I barely make two steps forward when I feel Edward grab my wrist, pulling me back.

I turn around. "What?"

He hold one of his hands up, signaling me to stay where I am. He puts some space between us and turns so that his back is facing me.

"Huh…?" I'm confused. I have no idea what Edward is hinting me to do.

"Get on my back," he tells me over his shoulder. "I'll give you a piggyback ride."

"What?" I say again, this time in a yelp.

He chuckles, turning around and making his way back to me. He takes my hands into his, holding it reassuringly. "Relax, Bella. I'll be fine. Just let me do this for you." He looks at me with puppy dog eyes. Aw shucks! If I can't resist them from Rosalie, then certainly I can't resist them from my boyfriend!

"But… no one has ever given me a piggyback ride. Except my dad." I try to let my eyes stare at the ground, but Edward wouldn't have any of that.

"Hey." He places a finger under my chin and slowly raises it so I'd be forced to look at him. "Well, that's great, right? Just let me be the first boy to do this for you."

"But look at you!" I exclaim, emphasizing my point. "And look at me!"

"And…"

I sigh. "I'm not as light as Kamille. And I'm not sure if you're as strong as Rhea." Kamille and Rhea are two freshmen girls in our classes that, in more than a few occasions, have seen Rhea give Kamille and Rhea give them a piggyback ride. I find it amusing. However, I find it more amusing that they're not the only people that do it.

"So?" He kisses me on the cheek. "I don't care how heavy you are. Consider this an early birthday present."

"But my birthday's not till September!"

"Just let him do it already!" Alice yells at me. I forget to notice that my friends were watching my conversation play out with Edward.

He smirks. "See? Even your friends think I should do it."

I roll my eyes. "Fine. I'll do it. But only for you and for them."

He beams. "Alright!"

"But-"

"But…?"

"You have to tell me if I'm hurting your back. I don't want you having a cramp later and blaming me for it."

He nods. "Okay. Now get on my back, Bella." He turns around and motions me forward. Thinking that this whole thing is silly, I stand behind Edward and wrap my arms around Edward's neck. In a matter of seconds, I find my legs wrapped around Edward's waist and his arms planted on my ass. Holy shit… Edward Cullen is groping my ass. Take that, bitches!

"Edward!" I squeal, surprised by his actions.

"Relax!" He angles his head so he could kiss my cheek again. "Think of this as an interesting way to let everyone find out we're a couple."

Now that he mentions it… he's right. Normally, with news as big like having Edward as my boyfriend, I'd be putting it as my status update on Facebook. However, I decided to do something different this time. Why let everyone find out on a social website when I can let them see it for themselves? It makes it more better because I'd get to see how priceless the looks on their faces would be. I can already imagine the amount of swearing Rhea would do when she sees this.

From the side, Alice and Angela are laughing their asses out from what Edward is doing to me.

"You're lucky!" Angela says through her laugh. "At least you don't have to walk all the way to the library!"

"Don't be a spoil sport, Ang," Alice says. "Now lets really go inside so you can get whatever snacks Bella has for you today."

"Cookies?"

I shook my head.

"Cheetos?"

I smile mischievously. "Maybe…"

Angela shares a look with Alice. With a nod, Alice quickly drags Alice inside.

Edward begins walking as I ignore the look from other students that are already in school. I don't care what they see. Don't couples do this too sometimes?

"What was that about?" Edward asks sometime later. We were already near the bulletin boards near the SG building and so far, Edward is showing no signs of discomfort of carrying me.

"Oh nothing," I reply. "It's a thing between me and Angela. She likes Cheetos and whenever I bring them to school as a snack, she raids me for them in the morning."

"And I'll assume she does that with your cookies too?"

"Yups."

He chuckles. "You have weird friends."

"Don't we all?"

"I wish my friends are as weird as them."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because…"

"Because I'm weird too."

"So am I!"

"Which makes us the perfect couple."

I grin, letting my lips brush against the back of his neck. "I think so too."

I tuck my head back on his shoulder, letting my hands stroke the strands of his hair that I could reach. I think he likes it, because I swear at one point I could have sworn I heard him growl or purr. Weird, right? It's unbelievable that it took one day for us to change from being friends to being in a relationship. If we could do things like this to one another, then who knows what other new things we'll try?

The first thing I hear when we're close to the library is a bunch of "Oh's!" from our classmates. When I lift my head up to see which of our classmates are already there, I almost burst out laughing from the shocked expressions from Karen, Marcus, Lex, Grace and Taylor.

"Alright. Let us have it," Edward says once he reaches the benches. Once he stops, I unwind my legs from around his waist and leap off from his back. After giving him a quick kiss on the cheek as my thanks, I stand beside him and we hold hands in front of our classmates.

"W… How…" Grace is at a loss for words, but I notice the smirk that's on her face when she sees me and Edward's intertwined hands. She, along with my best friends, Arsiele and Kelly, are the few people that knew that I had a crush on Edward.

"It just happened," I tell Grace simply.

"All right!" Marcus shouts, getting up from his seat and making our way towards us. He gives us both pats on the shoulder. "Wait till Mats sees this!"

I groan. "Don't remind. We'll be like Samantha whenever he teases her about Avan." Avan is Samantha's boyfriend who often hangs around with Samantha here in front of the library in the morning.

"It can't be that bad," Karen assured me. "It's not like your teacher's mean or anything."

That makes me groan again. "Oh trust me, you'll see how Mats can be like if you spent one day in his class."

"Is it that bad?"

Taylor scoffs. "Bad? I bet you wouldn't even last one period in Mats class!"

Karen rolls her eyes. "Boys."

"Tell me about it."

"Hey! I'm a guy!" Edward protests.

I giggle, giving Edward a kiss on his cheek. "Sorry. I meant boys that are jerks."

"Oh. Well thanks." He swings his arm across my shoulders and leads us to the benches, where we sit down and put our backpacks aside.

"So…" Lex turns off his 3DS and turns to face us. "When did you two get together?"

"Yesterday," Edward quickly replies. "It's a long story."

"Not really," I mutter. "I just told Edward that I had a crush on him, he told me that he likes me back and… it just happened." I turn to Edward and we share a look that only lasts for a few seconds. This is only the edited version of how we got together. I'm not going to tell them how I confessed to Edward that I was in love with him and how I told him everything I've felt for him over the last several months. That would be gossip that I bet the whole class of 2015 would hear about.

"Oh," Lex says. "Well that's nice. Glad you two are together then."

I grin. "Thanks, Lex."

A minute later, I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. I sigh. I don't even have to look at the caller ID to know who's calling.

"Hey mom." My mom always wants to make sure I got to school safely in the morning, so she calls me on my cell around the time that I arrive in front of the library.

"Hey Bella. You coming home late today?"

I shook my head. "Nopes. I'll be home at around 3:30, okay? You know how buses take a long time to get here."

"Sure. Be safe, okay?"

I roll my eyes. It's typical for my mom to worry about my safety. "No worries, mom."

"Okay then." Once my mom says her final comment, I end the call and shove my phone back into my pocket.

Edward wraps his arm around my waist. "You called your mom?"

I nod. "She worries about me during school, so I call her in the morning to tell her I'm alright."

"Did you tell her about us yet?"

I bite my lip, then shake my head. "Not yet. My parents have that whole no dating policy till after college thing."

"Aren't there any exceptions."

"Only if the guy is an honor roll student like me."

"But I'm not."

"Exactly." I lay my head back on my shoulder, letting the comfort of his touch ease my sudden discomfort about my parents. "But I'll try to put in a good word for you. You are gonna be my boyfriend for a while."

"Yeah… ummm… you see…"

"What?" I lift my head back up, panicking about what Edward might say next. Based by the tone of his voice, I can't tell whether or not this'll be good or bad news. Shoots. What if it's bad news? Wait… what if he regrets this? God, please let it not be that…

Sensing the look of panic on my face, Edward quickly kisses my cheek. "It's nothing bad, Bella. It's actually something good. But can we move somewhere else first?"

"Sure. Where?"

"Just somewhere where Taylor and the others won't hear us. It's kind of private and I only want you to know about it first."

I grin. "You trust me?"

He chuckles. "Of course we do. Trust is a key to a perfect relationship."

Awww… how sweet. It's official. Edward is a keeper.

_Don't go to conclusions yet, Bella. Edward's still gonna transfer schools. And you know long distance relationships don't usually work unless there's a lot of commitment. _

With a nod, we stand up and move to a tree next to the side of the library. It's closer to where we want to be when we got back, and it's also secluded enough so Taylor and the others won't overhear us and end up spreading gossip across the school. In my mind, I laugh. For just typical guys, they can spread news faster than a car going 60 miles per hour.

"What good news did you want to tell me?" I ask Edward once we stop under the tree and make sure that we were away from earshot.

"Ummm… do you remember last year when I told you I'd be moving away?"

I nod, remembering that memory well. Why would I forget? It's been on my mind constantly since he first told me! Something as big as this would never leave my mind until it happened.

"Of course I do," I murmur. "It means that we only have till like the last week of May."

"About that…"

Oh no! Maybe it will be bad after all. I brace myself for the worst.

"I talked to my mom yesterday about the whole issue…"

"And told her if I still had a chance to change my mind…"

"She told me that I did, and I told her that I wanted to stay…"

"She thought about it for a moment, and she said that I could, but under one condition."

I raise one eyebrow. "What's the condition?"

A small smile appears on his face. "I can still attend school here if I spent one school year at the school that I'm transferring to."

I gasp. "So, that means…"

He nods, the smile on his face curving wider. "I'll only have to be gone for sophomore year. I'll be back by the time we're juniors."

It takes me several seconds to process this new information in my head. I have one word: damn! This might be the best news I've ever heard from Edward ever since I found out he was moving. A day ago, I lost all hope of ever seeing him again when I knew for sure that Edward was transferring to another school and would be gone for good. I thought that, for the first time, that cheesy term of YOLO would finally have to come to use. And by YOLO, I don't mean I don't want to get drunk, get a hangover and have a one-night stand all on one night like what adults do nowadays. I have one messed up generation. Then there's the fact that, last night, when I chatted with Edward on the phone while doing my current events for World History, I had some insecurities of the new relationship that we were venturing into. I was afraid that, because of the long distance relationship that Edward and I will have to have after the end of this school year, we could break up. After all, not a lot of long distance relationships last. Long distance relationships can't last forever, right? I know they only last because of faith and trust between the couple.

I do trust Edward, and I do have faith in him too. But how much trust and faith do I have in him? What if it's not enough for us to stay together?

"I do have faith and trust in us, Bella," Edward tried to assure me last night. "But you know what we do have? We have each other. As long as I know that you think of me the way I think of you, then we'll be okay. I told you yesterday that when the time comes, I'll love you the same way that you love me. And I meant it. I'll eventually find a way to fulfill that promise." And I believed him, because I know that Edward will never break a promise.

"Thank you," I whisper as a response to what Edward just told me. What else could I say that wouldn't let me end up making me look like an idiot? "You have no idea how relieved I am for hearing that." I have to add the last part so Edward understands.

Edward smiles. "I told you, Bella. You can always trust me."

He's right. I trusted Edward with my whole heart, and because of my trust, he's found a way for our relationship to be okay. Sure, we'd have to endure long months without each other when he's gone for my sophomore year, but I have to tell myself that it'll be alright. He won't be gone forever.

We embrace each other for a minute and share a long kiss, filled with the happiness that we now have. All of the worry that I had a few minutes ago is gone. The happiness that Edward always brought me is back, but it's not stronger than ever.

I chat with Edward for a few minutes before we make it back to the front of the library. By now, the people who usually hang around that area are all here, including Jacob and Leah.

_Don't let Peaches get to you… _Of course I won't. Now that I have Edward, I can worry less about him. But that doesn't mean I'm still mad at that damn bastard.

"Ho!" Rhea shouts when she sees Edward and I holding hands. "When did that happen?"

I giggle. "Yesterday."

"How?"

"Long story," Edward and I say at the same time, then burst into a fit of giggles.

I become even more happy to see that Rosalie is here with Angela and Alice. She must have came when Edward and I were talking. Rosalie comes over to me and gives me a huge hug.

"See? I told you everything would work out between you and Chef," she squeals. Yeah… I think we'll be keeping the Chef nickname when Edward's not around. It's something that we've become accustomed to use.

I grin. "It has."

"Bella!" I pull away from Rosalie's hug to see another one being given by Leah. Her small frame is easy for me to swing her around once.

She smirks at me. "I can't believe you have a boyfriend!"

"Well I do," I tell her when I set her back on the ground.

"I didn't know you and Edward would be that close." She bumps her hips to my side teasingly. "You know what comes next, right?" She waggles her eyebrows.

Oh god. I know what she means. Months of hanging around with Rhea and her friends Amber, Ariel, Crystal and the rest of the crew, along with Jacob, has made her have a dirty mind like that. "Leah!"

"What?"

"I didn't need to know that! We're fourteen! It's not like you and Jacob are gonna do it anytime soon!" It's hard for me to say Jacob's name out loud, but since it's Leah, I have to. I don't want her to start questioning me.

"What?" She wrinkles her nose. "I may hang out with Rhea and them, but I'm not that dirty minded. Ask me that question ten years from now and then we'll see."

I chuckle. "Deal."

Leah goes back to Jacob, where they smile at each other and start eating each other's face. I have to turn away and look at my friends so I don't let everyone else see the scowl on my face.

"Peaches is still a douche," Rosalie says softly, swinging an arm around her shoulder. "But you have Edward."

"True…" I agree with her.

"And she's the best girlfriend I'll ever have," Edward adds, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my cheek lovingly.

"You've only been my boyfriend for one day!" I say, laughing. "And I bet I'm the only girlfriend you've ever had."

"How would you know that?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Just a hunch."

"Well your hunch is right. You are my first girlfriend. And a serious one at that. Am I your first boyfriend?"

I shook my head. I can't tell Edward lies. It's in that theoretical couples book that Rosalie keeps telling me about. "Just one other. But it lasted four days."

"Fail!"

"Shut up!" I swat his shoulders playfully. "But you are my first serious boyfriend. Believe me at that."

"I will." He kisses my cheek again. "I can never stay mad at you."

While Edward nuzzles his head into the side of my face, I notice out of the corner of my eye Jacob glaring. I internally gasp when I see that his glare is pointed directly at us. Or more of Edward, that is.

What the hell? What is that about? I glare at Jacob, but I've never seen him glare back. He's just never noticed my glares to reciprocate back.

_Douche. _I bet he just can't accept that fact that I have a boyfriend now. What? Did he think I'd stay forever alone? Hell no!

"What's wrong?" Edward asks in a worried tone, sensing my uneasy silence.

"Nothing," I murmur, looking away from Jacob and back to Edward. "Just thinking."

He shook his head. "I noticed too." What? So I wasn't the only one that noticed Jacob's glare.

"Yeah," he says as if he read my thoughts. "Don't worry about it, Bella." He turns me around so he could kiss my forehead. "He's just jealous."

"You think."

"Yeah! He's mad that a pretty girl like you is taken!"

"I'm not pretty," I mumble.

He scoffs. "Whatever he told you, you're not." He pulls me closer to him so our lips were only centimeters apart. "When the time comes, you can tell me what he did to you. But don't deny the fact that you're beautiful. It's who you are that makes you beautiful."

"Have you been listening to One Direction too much?"

He chuckles. "No, but I'm just saying. I could have any girl I want, but I picked you. And I'm lucky enough that the girl I chose is interested in me."

"You aren't lucky. You just didn't know that you were loved and you didn't know it."

"Yeah…" He presses a kiss on my lips and pulls away a few seconds later. "That's just how lucky I am."

Edward and I end up talking to my friends until the bell rings. When it does, we gather our things from the bench we left them on earlier and walk to our period two.

"Get ready for a day of hell," I tell Edward. "Our teachers will be giving us a whole load of shit when they see us together."

"I never picked you for a girl that swears."

I laugh. "Oh trust me. Stick with me and you'll be hearing me swear on a daily basis. I'm the hidden Rhea that you never knew about."

"See? That's why you're my girlfriend."

With wide smiles from the both of us, we continue heading off to class, wondering what the hell we have in store for the day.

* * *

**So there you have it! That was the second chapter of the continuation of MSATNS! The next chapter will have the rest of the reactions from B & E's classmates, along w/ their teachers. Hmmm… I wonder how it'll go…**

**If you're wondering why Jacob glared at Bella and Edward, that will be answered eventually. This is just the beginning of the problems Bella will have w/ Jake. Just because she's w/ Edward doesn't mean Jake won't bring any personal problems w/ Bella. Remember, he'll play a bigger part of the fic later on. Bella's story w/ Jake will be indulged into later on in the fic to, so stick around.**

**Besides that, I'll also make a banner for MSATNS. I'll give you a link for it by the next chapter. Idk when chapter 3 will be updated (Remember? Chapters will be 5,000-10,000+ words in length), but I hope it's soon. I'll be juggling on updates w/ that & BOD. **


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